for couple pioneering Māori education
A couple partly responsible for te reo Māori’s strength in Aotearoa today have been honoured as Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Tāwhirimātea (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Maniapoto) and Kaa Williams (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Maniapoto) are still the backbone of the institute they’ve been running for 22 years – Te Wānanga Takiura o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa.
For the whole of their lives, they have been at the front lines of the fight to make reo Māori modern, mainstream and in the mouths of those who love it most – Māori.
Now in their 80s, they show no signs of slowing down as they fight for funding and resources to keep growing their school for the hundreds of Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau who need them.
Link to video and article: New Year Honour for couple pioneering Māori education | Stuff.co.nz
